With their 9-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers capped off a memorable regular season in style. The club not only completed a sweep of their biggest rival, they additionally made history by reaching a franchise-record 106th win to boot.
Having concluded the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, the Dodgers now shift their attention to a seventh consecutive playoff appearance. They return to action on Thursday, Oct. 3, for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against either the Washington Nationals or Milwaukee Brewers.
The Giants, on the other hand, find themselves in the early process of ushering in a new era. Longtime skipper Bruce Bochy, who announced his intention to retire at the conclusion of the 2019 season, managed his final game for the organization on Sunday.
He was celebrated throughout the day at Oracle Park, first throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to his son, Brett. Bochy was later honored in a postgame ceremony that featured surprise visits from many of his former players.
Among those in attendance included Barry Bonds, Ray Durham, Tim Lincecum, Omar Vizquel and Barry Zito. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was the leadoff hitter in Bochy’s first game with the Giants, even joined the festivities.
Playing to the rivalry between the two teams, Bonds jokingly threw Roberts’ Dodgers hat into right field during the postgame ceremony to the delight of many Giants fans, via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area:
Barry Bonds grabbed Dave Roberts' Dodger cap and threw it into right field pic.twitter.com/1twscX57id
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) September 29, 2019
Roberts, who enjoyed a 10-year career prior, played for Bochy across two separate stints with the San Diego Padres (2005-06) and Giants (2007-08).
Having maintained a close relationship with Bochy after his playing days, Roberts presented him with an autographed Sandy Koufax jersey as a retirement gift earlier in September.
Roberts additionally offered Bochy a spot on his coaching staff for the 2019 National League All-Star team, although the latter politely declined.
Bochy departs the Giants as one of the most successful managers in franchise history, having guided San Francisco to three World Series championships over the course of 13 seasons at the helm.
In 25 total seasons as an MLB manager, Bochy posted a 2003-2029 record. He finished his career as the winningest manager in Dodger Stadium history, going 107-108 at the ballpark.
